X-ray apparatus



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Nov. 23, 1948. H. ROGIERS ETAL x-RAY APPARATUS Fiied Oct. 9, 1946 T. H..ROGERS ET AL X-RAY APPARATUS Filed ooh 9, 1946- v 2 Sheets- Sheet 2ATTORN EYS Patented Nov. 23, 1948 X-RAY APPARATUS Thomas H. Rogers, NewCaraan, and William W. Fengler, Glenbrook, Conn., assignors to MachlettLaboratories Incorporated, Springdale, Conn., a corporation o'fConnecticut `Application October 9, 1946, SerialNo.?702,138

i 5 Claims. (01.250-89) This invention relates to X-ray apparatus of thetype that includes a table upon which the patient reclines whileundergoing examination, and is concerned more particularly with a novelshockproof X-ray tube unit especially adapted for installaton beneaththe table of such apparatus. The new unit may be readily mounted formovement lengthwise and transversely of the table, and it is soconstructed as to permit it to be moved to the extent necessary topermit the beam issuing from the unit to reach any part of the table.

In X-ray apparatus of the kind above referred to, an X-ray tube employedfor radiographic examination of the patient is mounted above the tablein a tube stand, and many tables have been provided with a second tubebeneath the table, which is used for producing a fluoroscopic image ofthe patient on a screen above the table, where it can be readily seen bythe operator. The tube carried by the tube stand is commonlyshockproofed, that is, the tube is mounted within a groun-ded metallichousing containing insulating fluid in which the tube is immersed, butshockproof tubes have not ordinarily been employed be neath the tableand, instead, reliance has been placed on the metal enclosure of thelower `part of the table to take care of the shock hazard. i One reasonfor the failure to employ a shockproof tube beneath the table is that atube housing of the kind heretofore available is provided withextensions at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tube forreceiving the ends of the cables supplying energy to the tube and, whenthe unit is mounted beneath the table with its long axis parallel tothat of the table, as is desirable, the housing extensions or the cablesinterfere with the structural parts of the table and prevent the desiredmovement of the unit.

Recently, it has become increasingly desirable to utilize shockprooftubes beneath tables in X-ray apparatus in order, for example, tosimplify the Construction of the table, which must otherwise provideprotection against shock. Another important advantage of shockprooftubes is that they are of greater reliability and capacity under busyOperating conditions than those that are not shockproof. A shockproofunit for use beneath the table of such apparatus should be soconstructed for radiological reasons that the long axis of the tube isparallel to the long axis of the table and, for similar reasons, it isdesirable to have the dimension of the unit in a direction perpendicularto the table top as short as possible. Moreover, the long dimension ofthe unit should be as short as possible 'in order ,to permit maximumlongitudinal travel, and adequate lateral travel places a practicallimitation on the trans- Verse dimension of the unit.

The ,present invention is directed to the pro- Vision of a shockproofX-ray unit, which is so constructed that, when employed beneath thetable in an X-ray apparatus, it fu'lfills the ,conditions above pointedout and can be moved both lengthwise and across the table to the fullextent required. The new unit `includes a housing containing insulatingfluid, such as oil, in which the tubing is immersed, and the housing ismounted with the long axis of the tube parallel to the long axis .of thetable. The cable terminal members are mounted within the housing at oneend thereof andon either side of the long axis of the tube, and theusual collapsible chamber, which permits expansion of the oil, is alsomounted within the housing `and preferably at its other end at one sideof the long axis ofthe tube and in alignment with one of the cableterminal members. The high tension .connection to the terminal of thetube remote from the cable members extends from the other cable terminalmember through the oil .along the tube at the other side of the longaxis thereof, and adequate insulation for thsconnection is therebyprovided. With this arrangement, the housing is symmetrical about itslongitudinal axis, the lengthwise dimension of the housing can be keptto thedesiredminimum, ,and adequate lateral movement of the -unit ispermitted, because there are no .housing extensions or portions of thecables which would restrict such movement.

For a. better understanding ,of the invention reference may be ihadltotheaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form ofthe new unit with parts shown in section and broken away;

Figs. 2 and 3 ,are ,sectional views on .the lines 2--2 .and 3-3 of Fig.1;.an-d

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through a modified form of theunit.

The unit illustrated in Fig. 1 comprisesalhousing o ordinarilymade of asuitable metal such as aluminum. The-housing is generally rectangular inhorizontal section and it is .formed with a circular opening in itsbottom wall, which is closed by aplate Ll heldin place by screws !2,agasket 13 'being interposed between .the .plate ..and the wall of thehousing adjacent the opening. The plate H has a central opening, whichis'closed :by a re-entrant window IA formed with a flange, which isclamped against .a gasket l5 by an tann'lar nut I 6 threaded into thewall of the opening closed by the window. At its inner end, the windowextends into an opening in a tubular rayproof shield l' and terminatesclose to the wall of an X-ray tube !8 lying within the shield and heldin place by spacers I 9 interposed between the wall of the tube and theshield. The shield is held in place by a pair of stirrups 20, the endsof the stirrups being secured by screws 2| to bosses 22 ormed on theinner wall of the housing opposte the opening closed by plate l I. Thelongitudinal axis of the tube lies in the longitudinal axis of thehousing.

At one end, the housing lll is formed with a pair of openings throughwhich pass the terminal members on the cables 23, through whichenergy'is supplied to the tube. In the construction illustrated, thecables are detachably connected to the unit and a socket member 24 ofinsulating material is mounted in each opening. Each socket member isprovided with a flange 25 encircling its outer end and the fiange restsagainst the outer wall of the housing around the opening and is engagedby an annular nut 26 threaded into a flange 2'! on the housingencircling the opening. Each cable is provided with a terminal sleeve 28receivable in one of the socket members and the outer end of the sleeveenters a bell-sh aped collar 28a. Collar 28a lies within a bell-shapedclamping collar 29 which is engaged by an annular nut %ta threaded onthe outside of flange 27. Each socket member is provided with terminals30 at its inner end, which are engageable with correspo'ding terminalsprojecting from the terminal sleeve 28 on the cable and connected to theconductors in the cable. As illustrated, the socket members 24 lieparallel and in symmetrical arrangement on either side of thelongituclinal axis of the tube, at least in part on opposte sides of thetube, and the longitudinal axes of the socket members lie in a planethrough the longitudinal axis of the tube.

The tube illustrated is so disposed within the housing that its anodelies at the end of the tube remote from the socket members 24 and theanocle shank 3! projecting out of the tube is connected by a metal strap32 to the terminals 30 exposed beyond the inner end of one of the socketmembers 24. shank parallel to the end wall of the housing and thenthrough the space along one side of th'e tube. The strap is at aconsiderable distance from the housing at all points so that it isadequately insulated by the insulating fluid with which' the completedunit is filled through the opening in plate ll closed by plug 33. Theconnections 34 from the cathode of the tube pass around the end of thetube and the shield !1 to be connected to terminals 35 on a, plate 36mounted in the end of the oth'er socket member 24. Connections 34 areenclosed within an insulating sleeve 31, where they extend around theend of the tube and shield and to the end of the socket member.

During the operation of th'e unit, its oil contents become heated andexpand, and it is, therefore, necessary to provide collapsible meansdefining a part of the space occupied by the oil and acting uponcollapse to increase the Volume of that space. In th'e constructionshown, such means take the form of a chamber 38 of cup shape and madepreferably of a suitable syn thetic rubber compound. The chamber lieswithin a perforated metal enclosure 39 and the chamber and enclosure liewithin th'e housing The strap extends from the anode.

axes of the socket members and are supported by a disc 40 having aperipheral flange 4l. The rim of the chamber is seated against fiange 4|and held in place by a flange 42 on the enclosure 39, which is spun overth'e rim of the chamber and flange 4l on the disc. The disc is Securedto the head of a fitting 43 having a threaded shank 44 which extendsthrough an opening in a re-entrant portion 45 of housing ID. A nut 46 isthreaded on the shank and serves to secure the fitting in place againstthe inner face of portion 45 of the housing. The projecting end of theshank and the nut are concealed by a plate 47 attach'ed to the housingand the fitting has a passage 48 through it and plate 41 is perforated,so that air can be expelled from within the chamber 38 as the latter iscollapsed.

It' will be noted that the chamber 38 and its enclosure 39 lie in axialalignment with' the socket member 24 to which the cathode connectionslead, such chamber and enclosure lying in part transversely opposte thetube and in a space, which, in a symmetrical housing, would otherwise beunoccupied. It is to be understood that, if desired, the position of thetube in the housing could be reversed and the tube could be placed withits ancde end adjacent the socket members. In that case, the chamber 38and its enclosure would lie on the side of the tube opposite to that inwhich' it is now shown.

With the construction described, the housing is approximately square andits vertical dimension is a minimum. The cables extend in parallel fromone end of the housing and there are no necks on the housing extendingat right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tube as in priorconstructions. The housing has the minimum horizontal dimensionconsistent with proper insulation for the connection 32, and by mountingthe collapsible chamber wholly within the housin and in alignment withmember to which Connections 34 lead, a saving in the overall dimensionsof the unit is effected.

Some X-ray tables may require a reduction in the transverse dimensionsof the unit while permitting an increase in its vertical dimension, andfor such' an installation, the unit illustrated in Fig. 4 may beemployed. In this construction, the housing 49 is so formed that thesocket members 50 lie with their longitudinal axes parallel to oneanother and to the longitudinal axis of the tube 5I but the axes of thesocket members lie' in a plane ofiset from th'e horizontal plane throughthe longitudinal axis of the tube. The

collapsible chamber and its housing 52 lie with their longitudinal axesin alignment one of the socket members. tween the axes of the socketmembers 56 is substant'ally smaller than the distance between the 24 inthe construction With that of shown in Fig. 1, and the mension of thehousing is, accordingly, substantially less th'an that of the Fig. 1housing. In'

the construction shown in Fig. 4, planes passing through the axes of therespective socket members and the longitudinal axis of the tube lie atright angles to one another, but the enclosed angle between the planesmay be Varied within the limits permitted by the requirements of theinstallation.

The new shockp-roof unit may be advantageously employed forserialographic X-ray work because of the possibility of moving the um'tlengthwise and across the table to the extent necessary to permit allparts of the table to be reached by the beam issuing from the unit. For'the socket Th'e distance be-V overall transverse disuch use the unit isprovided with a double focus tube, one focal spot being employed forproducing the fiuoroscopic image, and the other for radiography.

We claim:

1. A shockproof X-ray unit which comprises a housing containinginsulating fluid, an X-ray tube mounted within the housing with itslongitudinal axis generally parallel to the side walls of the housing,the tube having terminals at its opposite ends, a pair of ca'bleterminal members mounted within the housing at one end and eX- tendinggenerally parallel to the longitudinal aXis of the tube and on oppositesides of said axis and at least in part on opposite sides of the tube,a, collapsible chamber mounted within the housing at the other endthereof and aligned with one of the cable terminal members, the chamberlying in part -transversely opposite the tube, a connection extendingthrough the space at the op posite side of the tube between the othercable terminal member and the tube terminal at the remote end of thetube, and a connection between the other cable terminal member and thetube terminal at the adjacent end of the tube.

2. A shockproof X-ray unit which comprises a housing containinginsulating fluid, an X-ray tube mounted within the housing with itslongitudinal axis generally parallel to the side walls of the housing,the tube having an anode terminal at one end and a cathode terminal atthe other, a pair of cable terminal members mounted within the housingat the end, to which the cathode terminal of the tube is adjacent, andextending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube and onop posite sides of said axis and at least in part on opposte sides ofthe tube, a collapsible chamber mounted within the housing at the otherend thereof and aligned with one of the cable terminal members, thechamber lying in part transversely opposite the tube, a connectionextending through the space at the opposte side of the tube between theother cable terminal and the anode terminal of the tube, and aconnection between the first cable terminal and the cathode terminal ofthe tube.

3. A shockproof X-ray unit which comprises a, housing containinginsulating fluid, an X-ray tube mounted within the housing with itslongitudinal axis generally parallel to the side walls of the housing,the tube having terminals at its opposite ends, a pair of cable terminalmembers mounted within the housing at one end and extending generallyparallel to the longitudinal aXis of the tube and on opposite sides ofsaid axis and at least in part on op posite sides of the tube, thelongitudnal axes of the tube and cable terminal members lying insubstantially the same plane, a collapsible chamber mount d thin thehousing at the other end thereof and aligned with one of the cabieterminal members, the chamber lying in part transversely opposite thetube, a connectio-n extending through the space at the opposite side ofthe tube between the other cable terminal member and the tube terminalat the remote end of the tube, and a connection between the other cableterminal member and the tube terminal at the adjacent end of the tube 4.A shockproof X-ray unit which comprises a housing containing insulatingfluid, an X-ray tube mounted within the housing with its longitudinalaxis generally parallel to the side walls of the housing, the tubehaving terminals at its opposite ends, a pair of cable terminal membersmounted within the housing at one end and extending generally parallelto the longitudinal axis of the tube and on opposite sides of said axisand at least in part on opposite sides of the tube, the longitudinalaxes of the cable terminal members lying substantially in a horizontalplane offset from that of the longitudinal axis of the tube, acollapsble chamber mounted within the housing at the other end thereofand aligned with one of the cable terminal members, the chamber lying inpart transversely opposite the tube, a connection extending through thespace at the opposite side of the tube between the other cable terminalmember and the tube terminal at the remote end of the tube, and aconnection between the other cable terminal member and. the tubeterminal at the a'djacent end of the tube.

5. A shockproof X-ray unit which comprises a housing containinginsu'lating fluid, an X-ray tube mounted within the housing with itslongitudinal axis generally parallel to the side walls of the housing,the tube having terminals at its opposite ends, a pair of cable terminalmembers mounted within the housing at one end and eX- tending generallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube on opposite sicles of saidaxis and at least in part on opposite sides of the tube, thelongitudinal axes of the ca'ble terminal members lying in a horizontalplane offset from a horizontal plane through the longitudinal aXis ofthe tube.

THOMAS H. ROGERS. WILLIAM W. FENGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,290,322 Goldfiel-d July 21,1942 `2,320,559 Bouwers June 1, 1943

